Campus Trees

In recognition of its dedication to greening the collegiate landscape, Denison was designated as a ‘Tree Campus USA’ The Arbor Day Foundation awards this national recognition to campuses that promote healthy trees through a demonstrated commitment to forestry and environmental stewardship. Denison has a long history of fostering a tree-friendly environment, as evidenced by its current arboretum and by photographs of academic quad from the 1920s.

Osage-orange or hedge-apple was once planted along fence-rows as a field hedge. It is a many-branched tree with thorns. These thorns have kept out unwanted pests, and actually led to the invention of barbed wire. The hedgerows were also used as windbreaks and for soil erosion control. The heartwood is the most decay-resistant of all North American trees, and it is resistant to termites. The branches were used by the Osage Indians to make bows. Some archers still prefer to use its wood for their bows today. Settlers made yellow dye from the root bark (Peattie 1964). Chemical extracts from the tree and its fruits are use to make antifungal agents and a non-toxic antibiotic used in food preserves. The leaves also produce a white latex when damaged (Burns and Honkala 1990).